rambling + better off worse (VocaCircus) flower in the spoken for stage below (tw - ketchup?)
also rice’s art. ignore how they have no shadow I’m horrible at editing I do this with my notes app-
I highly recommend you read the comments, I was just gonna point out the other utau girls, the gunshots and potential tattoo reference in “shaving off the numbers” taken literally. And of course the “Go for a Perfect?”. I think this comment phrased it really well.
The fact she’s not there at the end screen (that I am using for both of my images) is as concerning as it could be hopeful.
also I think I accidentally made static miku giant whoops
MORE:
- I’ve already said it but this song gives me such dread. I love it and it’s perfect but I was sobbing on the floor for hours bro. I mean I may already be mentally unwell but shush. I don’t even relate to it in the slightest
- do you think they’re all going to be 4:04
- I wish the silly bit in the intro was on streaming services. I hope it’s in a potential album ver. Assuming this project is an album. Do you think they’ll all begin with S.
- I love how they’re going with cartoon mascots in specific styles so far. What could be next?
- I actually don’t think the next song is gonna be Neru. I think they’ll save Neru for the end and complete the triple baka trio then. Not sure who to expect in between. Kaito? Meiko? They even got quite the history with fame, especially Kaito. I kinda hope for Fukase. “He was the meme man of vocaloid. And this is him now.” Maybe the Utaus in this? Xin Hua OR Xia Yu Yao? That Chinese Miku “Rip off” Dong Fang Zhi Zi? Utatane Piko? The REAL mascot boy, Ryuto?
- I said it when static came out, but I have no idea how it’s going to feel in the future when these songs are staples of vocaloid. Where are we going from here? I thought we peaked at mezzy, it’s a little overwhelming- Good, of course. And they’re ENGLISH songs. We need a new “vocal synth songs every fan should know” at this rate. Maybe solely for English ones.
- would this have been as popular as static if it came out first
- I’m kinda glad it’s not, static is a little happier and less triggering than this.
- I feel this could NEVER really outdo or be the next Static either. It’s not got that weirdcore, creepy edge. It’s not unnerving in the same way. As I mentioned, I absolutely LOVE the way they’re doing this.
- can JamieP CALM DOWN for ONE SECOND and stop making BANGERS
- I really hope this isn’t the truth directed to the audience/a cry for help from the producers- I know better off worse was kinda like that- I doubt it is. I uh I really really hope it isn’t.
- the way the chorus isn’t built to be a chorus if that makes sense? Like it sounds more like a verse, so in the final chorus there’s this constant feeling of “we haven’t reached the peak yet” especially since the peak is at the bridge. I think it’s reflected most in the horns (my favourite part of the song!). And the way the bridge isn’t very different from the chorus! The way each line is the start of the chorus but not quite hitting it! Just like the feeling that she’s not good enough! And the way that actually transitions into the final chorus! Sorry this doesn’t make any sense.
- again, no clue how they do this. I’m very interested on how it goes from an idea in someone’s head into this. Does the concept come first? Or the music? It’s so extremely impressive. It’s like they got the branding everywhere immaculate, the vibe, but the viewer experience is never negatively affected by that gggfrdffgghhdr
- each of the song pages on the flavor foley start with an emoji, and the one for spoken for is 💖 which is my favourite emoji 😭
here’s some ramblings from the nightcord about vocaloid in general
✨ABSTRACT WITH ME✨ anyway uhh this song was made specifically for me- circus p flavor foley and KAITO!!!! frothing at the mouth- also ricedeity and reverieque cooked on the aesthetics- right up my alley✨thank you for the food
Miku Expo 2026 Digital Stars NYC - Thoughts and Setlist
Hello! I'm nostraightanswer! For those unfamiliar, I use the handle LupinNSA for most purposes online, Lupin for short. I'm probably best known as the voice of VOCALOID DEX, a few Warframe Fan Songs, as well as a song called Red Windows which caught unexpected levels of attention on streaming services.
It has been just a couple days since one of the most amazing nights in my career as a VOCALOID producer and musician in general. I'm honestly still coming down from the high of it all- everyone was really lovely, including all of the performers, their guests and personal staff, Crypton Future Media's staff, Racket NYC's staff, and the audience- genuinely electrifying. While it is still fresh in my head, I wanted to talk a little bit about the process leading up to the show, some observations I had in hindsight, and of course share the full track list for my set.
Let's do the latter thing first, actually:
THE TRACK LIST
Define Me (feat. MAIKA) - nostraightanswer
the dots (feat. AVANNA) [Unreleased Self-Remix] - nostraightanswer
hourhand (feat. Otomachi Una) - suzie
The Sim (feat. Kasane Teto AI) - Jam2go
WILDCARD (feat. Kasane Teto AI) - KIRA
What Should I Say First (feat. SynthV Natalie) - CircusP
SUPERSHOT (feat. VoiSona SELENA) - Mellowcle
With This Love (feat. Hatsune Miku) - nostraightanswer
Room for a Fantasy (feat. Hatsune Miku) - nostraightanswer
Juggling a very busy semester of college, the track list was ultimately decided just a week before the show, but I think people really enjoyed the selection overall! I opened with two songs from previous albums: Define Me from SYNTECH+, and an unreleased remix of the dots from specters. From there I immediately jumped into playing a bunch of songs that have been recent favorites: hourhand, The Sim, WILDCARD, What Should I Say First, and SUPERSHOT. In the case of The Sim, I had also considered playing a couple of other songs from Jam's Crash Test album: Same TBH and Edutainment. I then wrapped up the VOCALOID segment playing With This Love, my runner-up entry for the Miku Expo 2021 Song Contest, then Room for a Fantasy, which ultimately won the most recent contest- I'm still in shock and awe, and so incredibly honored.
The big surprise was really the last couple of songs, Cottonmouth and Moving Forward, which notably do not feature VOCALOIDs at all, but instead the voices of myself and one of my long-time best friends, EmpathP (also the voice of VOCALOID DAINA). When I introduced them to the audience as brand new songs* that I sang myself, someone shouted if I would be singing them live. I had not been planning on it, and when I explained such, I was met with chants from the audience to just go for it and ultimately gave in. I was worn out from bouncing around and throwing my body every which way, but I absolutely gave it my best effort- the only thing I had ever promised anyone leading up to it.
I'm really, really glad I did, actually! While I didn't have files prepared with the main vocal removed or lowered, people seemed to hear my live voice over or blending in with the original and responded really, really well. I got a lot of compliments after my set and the overall show on my singing voice in particular, including from fellow performers and fans new and old. This was deeply encouraging for several reasons, but in particular because my next album- which I hope to release this year- hardly features vocal synths at all, if any. In a sense, I hope my live performance made people want to hear more of my singing- a couple more thoughts on this later.
*: An older version of Cottonmouth was part of my Digital Stars 2023 Online set.
POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
Holy fuck. Apparently I was the only person performing that night who didn't swear on stage, and I might have even apologized for thinking I wasn't allowed to LOL. I genuinely can't remember. It was all a blur. But it sounds like something I would do. Regardless, I shouted "I FUCKING DID IT" at the top of my lungs in wristbands-only after the show was over, and said "Holy fuck" about once every ten seconds when I got back to my hotel that night.
Jamie Paige (of FLAVOR FOLEY, headlining the Digital Stars series this year) was, to my genuine surprise, one of my loudest and most excited hype-people of the evening. I had been acquainted with her since the Skype Days™️ but had never really interacted much with her until more recently. The way she believed in me like all of my other friends believed in me made me feel like I could fucking do anything, dude. And the hug I received after my set from her is unforgettable.
I'd briefly met Jamie, Vane Lily, MonochroMenace, and KAT in Chicago before the first Miku Expo shows, but I hadn't had much time to actually hang around too long that day. In New York / Newark, I was able to spend about an hour hanging out with Jamie (as well as Sleppuccino and ODDEEO, who I'd been closer with for longer) in my hotel room two days before DigiStars, and I attended an unofficial meetup at the American Dream mall with Menace, KAT, and several others (I think Bedrock [aka isidore.] was there but I am struggling to remember things clearly) the day of Miku Expo Newark. I was so grateful to be able to hang out and chitchat with everyone at length during the DigiStars sound check / rehearsal, and I felt really really welcome in the space for the first time in a few years. Thank you all so much for your kindness and warmth. 💖
The entire time I was traveling with Aki (EmpathP), and I genuinely don't think I would have survived the trip without her- she took on the brunt of incidental food and travel expenses (Lyft, Amtrak), and while I didn't exactly come to NYC with zero cash (indeed I handed Aki several bills to pay her back), there were several major expenses that drained my debit account FAST (an absurdly priced hotel incidental authorization nearly took me out tbh, but that's reverted now so it's all good).
I was invited to KBBQ after DigiStars by 4M-P, and holy shit there were so many other people it was hard to keep track. 4M-P, Bedrock, Menace, KAT, Menace's BF, ODDEEO and Sleppu, Ultimashadow, oh my god so many people I can't remember names of right now but you were all so nice to travel with for my first subway ride (thank you for dinging me through the gate LOL).
There was a good chance I would have actually withdrawn from DigiStars entirely due to enormous, insurmountable waves of anxiety in the prior months due to increasingly poor physical and mental health. I struggled to keep up with academics, physical fitness, diet, and so much more for a variety of reasons, and I had felt a lot of pressure all the way up to the hours before the show... If it weren't for my various friends throughout a number of social circles supporting me, this incredible night would have never happened for me. Thank you all so much.
I owe a lot to the Miku Expo and Digital Stars teams, from selecting Room for a Fantasy and creating such an amazing arrangement for it (wish I could've met the band), to inviting me to perform and giving me a chance I probably barely deserved or had the experience for, but trusting me to just do my best, which was all I could really promise anyway. Super big thanks to Riki, who handled most of my more casually framed questions, requests, and other sorts of confusion (probably to a level of annoyance) with incredible patience the whole time, and made a significant effort to make me feel more at ease.
I do think people liked the singing enough that next time I do a performance, I'd like to try doing that "glorified karaoke" set I was so afraid people wouldn't like, or at least deliberately planning that into a set comparable to my DigiStars performance. People absolutely want their VOCALOID content still- can't take all of that away- but I think with more practice and deliberate rehearsal, a proper vocal performance would be received even better than one where I'm trying to sing over a full-volume pre-recorded lead vocal.
Simultaneously, next time I'm invited to do a performance, I would like to NOT have a full or more-than-full course load in the parallel academic semester. Only having one actual week to prepare the set forced me to simplify my plans so greatly and not being able to practice an additional week certainly forced me to simplify further. That said, I don't know if the actual "format" of the set would have changed much- more "casual DJ" and less "club DJ".
Also simultaneously, next time I'm invited to do a performance, I want to be hot and shirtless. is that too much to ask
To everyone in the audience, thank you so much for your enthusiasm during my performance. If I gave you any reason to pay attention to what I'm doing next, I'm so happy to have achieved just that. But more than anything else, your energy and encouragement helped me be brave doing something I've literally never done before- the last time I'd performed on any stage at all was almost 15 years ago (at least, in non-impromptu fashion), and I'd never, ever performed on a stage solo. You were all amazing.
And, finally... if I could do it all over again, I think I would. Maybe better this time. More thought out. Less juggling college. But I had a lot of fun, and it was all worth it in the end.
Thank you so much for coming to my TED talk
...also I'll be editing together a video of my set (as best I can) for viewing once I have the licensing requirements sorted out with the venue LOL. it'll be pretty basic but please look forward to it if you couldn't come to the show (or perhaps if you want to relive it).
